Our Board
Meet Our Board
333 W. Wacker Drive, Suite 500,
Chicago, IL 606060
General Inquiries
info@serrainternational.org
Judy Schumaker, President
Judy Schumaker, joined Serra, along with her husband, Dan, in 2003 with the Serra Club of Lafayette, Indiana. She has served in several leadership positions, including president, vice president of membership, vice president of programs, trustee, and chair of the Leadership Committee. Serra leadership positions beyond the local level include several years on the Serra US Leadership Committee. She began her second term on the Serra International Foundation in 2023, having joined the board as a trustee in 2019.
Judy and Dan, college sweethearts at Purdue University, have been married for 53 years and have two grown children and one grandson. They are members of St. Boniface Church in Lafayette. Their volunteer service together included the RCIA and Christ Renews His Parish teams. For more than 20 years, Judy served the parish in various volunteer roles, including director of religious education, catechist, and youth minister. She retired from Purdue University in 2018, having worked for 28 years as a professional fundraiser.
Cindy Bell, President-Elect, Secretary
Cindy Bell joined Serra in 1990, with two other ladies, as the first women members of the Serra Club of Green Bay. She grew up attending many Serra conventions with her parents, participating in the kids programs, while her father was in leadership roles. Cindy has served Serra as club president, district governor (before regions), and on various committees. She had the opportunity to serve as secretary of the international board, and later secretary of the US Council board. Currently, she is secretary of the Serra International Foundation, and the Combined Administrative Office (CAO) committee.
She was married to Fred Bell, until his death in 2008, and they raised 2 beautiful daughters. Now, 2 sons-in-law, & 4 grandchildren have been added to the family. She is a retired elementary school teacher, and has been involved at St. Bernard Parish, the Mauthe Ecumenical Center, the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, and the local children’s theater.
Tim O’Neill, Past President
Served as President of Serra International in 2015. Tim is a member of the Serra Club of Omaha. Tim has been actively involved in Serra for 35 years. During this time he has held several offices within his club, serving as President in 1991. Tim has served as District Governor for Region 9W, and has served on the SI Board Nominating Committee 2010 and 2011, has been a member of the SI Board of Trustees since 2012 and served as the SI Board Vice President of Communications 2013 prior to his election to President-Elect. Tim currently serves on the SI Board Long- Range Planning Committee, and the Combined Administrative Office (CAO) taskforce.
Tim and his wife Sally chaired the 2009 SI Convention held in Omaha, NE as well as the 2014 SI Convention held in Sacramento, CA. Tim and Sally are very active in the Archdiocese of Omaha and serve on several committees. Tim is a member of the Archbishop’s Committee for Development. They are also active in the Institute for Priestly Formation (IPF) where Tim serves as chair of the IPF Foundation Board of Directors. Tim and Sally are active members in the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem and members of Christ the King Church in Omaha.
Tim and Sally have two sons, Connor and Collin and three grandchildren.
Cecilia Akindele, Trustee
Cecilia Olushola Akindele (PhD) was born January 13, 1951 into a Catholic Family of Eight. She worked as a Lecturer in a Tertiary Institution in Nigeria for 35 years. Additionally, she has served in Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, Nigeria as Head of Department, Office Technology and Management; as Dean, School of Management and Business Studies; and lastly as Dean, Students Affairs and retired from active service in January 2016.
A Serran of Serra Club of Maryland, Lagos. She has served as the Secretary at inception; as President of the Club; and as District Officer (Programmes) - District 130B Nigeria. She is passionately interested in the welfare of Priests and Religious. Celilia was married but widowed; with 4 grown up children, all married and 8 grandchildren.
Michael Bragg, Trustee
Michael graduated from the College of Wooster, with honors, and obtained his Juris Doctorate from Case Western Reserve University, cum laude. Michael is a partner in the law firm Spengler Nathanson PLL in Toledo, Ohio. Michael has served as President, Secretary and Foundation Representative on the Serra International Board. Michael is a Past President and Trustee of the Serra International Foundation and has served as a District Governor and Past President Toledo Ohio Serra Club. Michael is a 4th Degree Knight of Columbus, Past Grand Knight of St. Joan of Arc Council 15905 and Past President of the St. Joan of Arc Athletic Board. Michael has volunteered as a coach and scout leader and sung in the parish choir. Michael is a Past President of the Toledo Bar Association Real Estate Committee and currently sits on the Bar Admissions Committee. He is a member of St. Joan of Arc Parish, has been married for thirty-nine years and has four children and three grandchildren.
Alex Duncan, Trustee
Alex and his wife Ella have four daughters. None can become priests, but says he is working on the ten grandsons with three other granddaughters. Who knows? Well Our Lord knows. Residing in Bonnie Scotland and well and truly retired having spent some 30 years as managing director of his own industrial maintenance chemical company.
Importantly Alex has been a member of Glasgow Serra for some 37 years progressing through the ranks to serve on the Serra International board and ultimately as President. During his presidency Alex and Ella visited some five continents experiencing the universality and friendship of this amazing Serran apostolate, an experience he says we will never forget. Alex now serves on the Serra international foundation as a trustee while still very active in his original Serran experience at home and the Serra Great Britain council as Secretary and Vice president for Communications.
Robert Goldsmith, Trustee
Robert H. Goldsmith joined Serra in 1995 as a charter member of the Southern Maryland Serra Club. He has held several positions in Serra including club president, district governor, regional director, SI vice president, SI trustee. And SI Treasurer. Bob has served on the USAC board and the SI board and joined the SIF board in 2016.
He is a Professor Emeritus at St. Mary's College of Maryland at St. Mary's City, Maryland and is active in Rotary, Lexington Park Rotary club foundation, the county historical society, the Literacy Council of St. Mary' County as vice president and St. George Catholic Church.
Bertha Acuña Hallatt, Trustee
Has served Serra for more than thirty years where she has held several positions including President of her local Club. Bertha was Trustee and Area Representative of the Serra International Board and was Vice President of Vocations til January 2019 when she retired from the International Board .
She is very active with her society in Cuernavaca, her hometown with local committees, catholic apostolates as well as Treasurer of a community in Cuernavaca. She is also a real state administrator of various properties. She was responsible for the rescue and organization of the historic library of the dioceses of Cuernavaca as well as all the XV and XVI century archives.
She has a BA in History from the University of Morelos in Mexico. She has been married to Jorge Delgado for the last 53 years and together they raised a family of two boys and one girl and they are now the proud grandparents of five.
Dan Jones, Trustee
Dan was born and raised on a dairy farm in Snohomish Washington. After high school I attended Washington State University for 4 years and lived in a Catholic Fraternity (Phi Kappa Theta). He graduated with a BS of Science in Physical Education and then graduated from Stanford in Physical Therapy. He worked at St. Vincent’s hospital in Portland, OR, the first few years then later was a founding partner in a PT company called Therapeutic Associates.
Dan raised four children (3 boys and 1 girl) as active members of St Pius X Parish and he has 6 grandchildren.
He has been a member of the Serra since 1980. Dan has held a wide number of roles in Serra including Club President, District Governor, and President of both Serra USA and Serra International.
Dan’s first wife died in car accident shortly after he retired. He has since remarried and he, and his wife Lynn, remain very active in Serra.
Pat Manzo, Trustee
Pat Manzo has spent almost her entire life in Southern California. She earned her degree from UCLA, is the second of six siblings, and is the mother to six children. After she was widowed, a dear friend invited her to join the local Serra Club in 1997, and has been an active member ever since, serving as an officer with her local club, the Serra US board, and currently a member of the International Foundation. She also serves on the board of various local Catholic charities and currently is the president of a non-profit senior affordable housing organization. She still manages properties, and loves spending time with her children and grandchildren.
Betty Ramirez-Lara, Trustee
Betty Ramirez-Lara is the President/Owner of Utilities Services Experts USA, an Energy Brokerage Firm for consumer use. Betty attended University of Texas – Pan American Rio Grande Valley Texas. Betty raised 2 boys as a single mother. Betty met and married her Rotary husband Adam Lara in 2008 as he was visiting her Rotary Club. They both enjoy volunteering and serving their community together.
Betty and Adam joined Serra Club of McAllen in 2014. They immediately were selected to serve on the Board of Directors’ and work together on increasing membership by facilitating workshops throughout the Diocese of Brownsville. When they learned the objectives of Serra, to bring together informed Catholic lay leaders who understand and live their own Christian vocations to service, foster and promote vocations to the ministerial priesthood in the Catholic Church. To assist members to recognize and respond in their own lives, to God’s call to holiness in Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit. Bishop Daniel Flores has asked Betty and Adam to serve on the Case Development Council for the Diocese of Brownsville. Betty’s most recent Serra position is Serra US Council VP Programs, Serra McAllen’s President, Serra International Foundation Board Trustee and Club Foundation Representative.
Recently, Betty and Adam relocated to Corpus Christi, Texas. Bishop Michael Mulvey from the Diocese of Corpus Christi asked to host the Ignite Vocation Workshop. Over 18 parishes participated with 77 parishioners. Then SI President Greg Schweitz as Lead facilitator.
In the year 2001, Betty joined Rotary International and has served in many capacities. In the year 2017-2018, she served as District Governor serving over 2000 members in 52 Rotary Clubs throughout South Texas. In her first 60 days, Hurricane Harvey hit the Gulf Coast affecting thousands of residents. Betty created a Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund using a 501 (c) 3 with funds of over $448,000 being raised along with 2 RV’s to assist the victims. Relief grants were awarded within 1 week of the hurricane landfall. Betty has received Rotary International’s Avenues of Service Citation Award, only 150 awarded yearly around the world. Service Above Self Award , Rotarian of the Year Award, District Foundation Chair, District Grants Sub Committee Chair, District Scholarship Committee Chair, Assistant Governor, McAllen North Rotary President.
Betty and Adam have 4 Boys and 3 grandchildren. Bobby Jo Garcia, J.R. Garcia both live in Austin, Texas. Seve Lara and Marcus Lara live in San Antonio, Texas.
Robert (Bob) Rudman, Trustee
Bob resides in Franklin, Tennessee and has been married for sixty-one years to his wife Missy, and has four married children and six grandchildren. He was an economics major and hockey player graduating from Boston College. He took on marketing management responsibilities with National Broadcasting Co. (Huntley-Brinkley, Jeopardy and The Macneil-Lehrer Show), American Brands, and Johnson & Johnson before starting a manufacturer’s representative company. For over twenty years his company developed new markets of distribution and products for many blue chip companies. He is retired but involved in marketing and consulting for many nonprofit organizations. He currently serves on the board of the Children’s Kindness Network (teaching children to stop bullying before it starts). A volunteer with the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County, which has honored him for volunteering. Received the Exemplary Community Volunteer Award for 2014 and 2015. Volunteer with the Dominican Sisters at Aquinas College, having served on their Board as well as the School Board of St. Matthews Church. A member of St. Philip Catholic Church serving on their Legacy Committee as well as the 150th anniversary of the dedication of the parish. Bob is also a member of the Knights of Columbus and currently serves on the Advisory Committee of Mercy Community Healthcare.
Daniel Grady, Treasurer
Alejandro Carbajal, Trustee
Meet Our Staff
John Liston, Executive Director
jliston@serrainternational.org
After graduating from Archbishop Quigley High School Seminary, John earned a Bachelor of Science from the Darla Moore School of Businessmen at the University of South Carolina, receiving degrees in international business, human resources management, and entrepreneurship. He obtained a Juris Doctorate from Loyola University Chicago School of Law with a certificate in advocacy.
Before becoming Executive Director of Serra, John worked for the law firm of Sanchez Daniels & Hoffman, LLP, as a civil defense attorney. In addition to his work for Serra, John is an adjunct professor at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, where he teaches courses in negotiation, mediation, and client counseling. John also serves as the treasurer for Innovation Experts, a non-profit that provides support services for public libraries.